Radiator return trap



Oct. 25, 1927.

A. P. CROSBY RADIATOR RETURN TRAP Filed March 1926 Arfhur P. Crosbyv Patented Get. 25, 1927.

new are iseaesa WILLIAM T. PRICE, OF

MINNEAPOLIS, IVHNNESOTAZ I RADIATOR nnrunn 'rner.

Application filed March 15,192 Serial as. 94,937; i

My invention relates to the radiator return traps and particularly to the type of trap employing a fluid actuated thermoresponsive'expansible element, andhas for an objectto provide a yieldablefabutment for'sa d element -permitting the same to expand abnormally without injurious restr ction there against in the presence of unusually high temperatures within the trap.

Another object of the invention resides ini providing a housing forme'd with an lnlet and an outlet and a valve mechanism'for closing saidloutlet, said housing havlngpa stop for'said yieldable abutment, and stud element abutting said abutment and serving to actuatesaid valve mechanism. ."lVith the foregoing and other objects'ln f view, which will" appear in the following i tie-- scriptio'n the invention resides in the novel combination-and arrangement of parts and in-the details of construction hereinafter dep "thermores'ponsive fluid actuated expansible el ment 23. This strueturebeing'well known i in the art" will not-be described idet'a il further Ethanto nentionthat the samecon g I sists of a shell like struc ture T245 fof resilient imaterial ar'ranged inl'a number o-f-folds 25 andfilled-with some fi'uid sensitive to changes 'in temperature so tl'ia-t when-the temperature scribed and claimed;

I-nIt-he drawingsfiy f r a Fig; 1" is a longitudinal sectional view of a trap illustrating an embodiment of my 1nventionwL." u

Fig. 2'is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the valve mechanism in closed position.

Fig.3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 illustrating' the valve member closed and the yield "able abutmentfreefrom the stop. Fig. 4. is a sectional view taken on "of'F-ig. 1;"

line

V 'In the'varlous, steam heating systems employing traps utilizing thermoresponsi've ele- 'ments operating against fixed abutments for the purpose of c'losingthe valve mechanisms within the traps, numerous such elementsare injured and rendered useless due to the expansion thereof; caused by abnormal 1'n ereases of-tcmperature withinthe traps My invention overcomes thisdi'saclvantage and prevents injury to thermoresponsive element by providing a yiel'dable abutment against 45 I which said element abuts, thereby permitting of expansion of said element inexcess of -that required to close the valve.

The embodiment of my invention illustop and threaded to receive a capor closure 10 to form a chamber 21' within the housing. At one 1 side of housing trated in the drawings comprises a housing A of "cylindrical formation open at the A'- is formed" mak11 pmnag an inlet into the chamber 21 of 'said housing, which neck is externally threaded'at 12 to'receive clamp nut lt'by meansof which" the entire trap may be rigidly mounted upon the usual ni pplelfi ofthe ordinary radiator on which the trap isto be 'used;'- Depending from the lower wall 16 0f the housing Ali's a neck-17 having an outlet-18- communicating with the chamber 21 of the housing A. This neck is.

constricted a't itsjuncture with the wall 16 ofdmusing' A, as indicated at 195 said wall 'being -lformed with a valve'seat 20 adapted to receive a valve closure, presently to be de-f:

scr-ibedpfor the purpose of closing the open ing from" chamber21 to the outlet18.-- The interior of the neck 17 isthreaded at 22 to receive a pipe 'not shown in the drawings by means of which the water-entering'the trap I may be conducted away.

WVithinthe housinga'A is supported a surrounding said element inoreases,=.the same tionand air entering the chan'iber2l through inlet"13-f1nay be conductecl awayjfrom the trap through the outlet As the temperature within the chamber v21 increases due to theentrance of steamintosaid trap the ex- "p'ansible elemen't23 becomes elongatedlas previously described and causes the valve headi26 to engage the seatf20'and thereby A ported at its upper eIldJWltlllIPt-ll housing A as follows: Withinthe upper portion of this housing above the neck "11' and are thermoresponsive element23, I-form arian nularpstop or shoulder 27 which is of suchclose the outlet 18--and prevent escape of 'width" as-to allow the thermoresponsive ele- 05 m'ent23 or any portion of the sameto pass freely therethrough. Upon this stop is positioned a plate or disc 28 which is held in contact therewith by means of a coil spring 29 seated at one end upon said plate and at its other end-within a socket 30 formed centrally in inner surface of cap 10. The thermoresponsive element 23 is provided witha stud screw 31 issuing from the upper portion thereof and passing thirough the center of the plate 28. Threaded upon the end of said s'tudscrew 31 is a nut 32 which serves tohold said thermoresponsive element securely attached tosaid plate 28. The nut '32 is preferably of cylindrical formation: and is of such a size as to fit snugly within {the coil spring 29. This spring pressed p'late structure not only provides a'gmou'nting .for the element 23, but servesas an abutment against which said element reacts when thevalve head 26 is seated. V a i r The'operation of the invention is'as folflows: The ,thermoresponsive element 23 is normally held supported through the plate 28, stop27 andspring 29 as shown in Fig. 1, with the valve head 27 spaced from and above the valve seat 20. So long as condensation or air or both are present in the trap, the valve he'ad26 remains open due to the relatively low temperature to which the element 23 "is subjected. In this position of the valve head 26, such condensation and air escapes through outlet 18.. iVhen'steam en .ters the trap and subjects the element 23 to increased t empera-ture, the fluid within thern'ioresponsive element 23 expands, there by elongating-said element, whereuponthe valve head 26 is forced against-the seat 20 efi'ecting a closure between the outlet 18 and chamber 21 and preventing the leakage of steamzthrough this outlet. 'Iffor any particular reason the temperature of the steam enteringthe chamber 21 should exceed that for which the trap is normally designed to operate, further expansion of the fluid within the element 23 would occur, which with the ordinary type of trap would cause the thermoresponsive element to burst or be- 7 come otherwise injured so as to failto function properly. When Such an increase in temperature occurs with my invention, the fluid within theelement 23 continues to ex pand and said element continues to elongate, at the same time raising the discv 28V from the stop 27 against the, action of'the spring 29, as shown in'Fig. .3. This permits of excess expansion without injury to the thermoresponsive element 23, spring 29 being of such resiliency'as 'to freely yield to the movement of said element upon abnormal increase of temperature within the chamber 21 and at the same time hold the v, valve head 26 properly seated upon the seat 20. When the temperature within the chamber 21again falls back to normal, plate 28 becomes reseated upon the stop 27 and the trap is again ready to function in the usual manner. V r The invent on is highly advantageous in that it provides a simple and effective struc- T ture for permitting abnormal expansion of the thermoresponsive element therein due to i accidental or unusual increase oftemperature within the trap, the proper functioning of the thermoresponsive element under ordinary conditions being interfered with in no way. 7

Changes in the specificform of my invention, as herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what s cla med without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my. invention, what I A claim as new and desire ters Patent is v 1. A trap comprising a housing having an inlet and an outlet, a valve seat formed in conjunction with said outlet, an annular shoulder formed within said housing, a disk adapted to be seated upon said shoulder, a spring for holding said disk in contact therewith, a thermoresponsive element, at tached to said disk and a valve member attached to said thermoresponsive- .element adapted to seat against saidvalvezseat, said to protect by :Let-

disk being of av diameter greater thansa-id thermoresponsive element to hold said valve member in proper relat on to said valve seat,

said disk being adapted to .recede from said shoulder under pressurefrom said element due to abnormal increases of temperature .wlthm said hous1ng.- A

2. A trap comprising a housing having an 3. A trap comprising a housing having an inletand an outlet, a valve seatformed in conjunction with said outlet, an annular shoulder formed Within said housing, a floating unit within said housing comprising a thermoresponsive element, a valve member attached thereto-'and-a member secured to said thernioresponsive element for engagement with said shoulder, said unit passing through said annular shoulder, saidshoulder being of a diameter greater than the diameter of the'portion of said unitpassing therethrough to give unrestricted freedonrof movement to said unit, and means for yieldingly holding said member in contact with said shoulder, said member being adapted upon excessive expansion of said thermoresponsive element to recede from said shoulder.

4:. A trap comprising a housing having an inlet and an outlet, a valve seat formed in conjunction with said. outlet an annular shoulder formed within said housing, a disk adapted to be seated upon said shoulder, a theriiioresponsive element attached to said disk, a valve member mounted on said thermoresponsive element and adapted to seat upon said valve seat, a stud issuing out- Wardly from said therinoresponsiveelement, a lug adapted to screw upon said stud for holding said disk attached to said thermoresponsive element, and a compression coil spring attached to and supported by said lug, said spring being adapted to engage said housing for holding-said disk in contact with said annular shoulder.

In testimony whereof, Ihave signed my name to this specification.

- ARTHUR P. CROSBY. 

